Data for Land-sea linkages depend on macroalgal species, predator invasion history in a New Zealand archipelago

Seabirds on islands create a circular seabird economy - whereby they feed
in the ocean, transport marine-derived nutrients onshore to their breeding
colonies, and then seabird-derived nutrients run off into the ocean,
enriching nearshore ecosystems. Invasive predators reduce seabird colonies
and nutrient subsidies; thus, predator eradication is critical for
restoring seabird islands. Few studies have linked nearshore marine
recovery to terrestrial ecosystem attributes and none have in temperate
zones. Here, we tested the influence of seabird driven soil nutrients,
terrestrial abiotic variables, and marine variables on nearshore algal
communities using in-depth repeated sampling of four islands in a New
Zealand island archipelago. We show seabird land-sea linkages are
disrupted when predators invade, and are not restored three decades after
invasive predator removal in the studied archipelago. Our study is the
first account of how seabird influences on land impact nearshore marine
environments on islands cleared of invasive predators in temperate
ecosystems. Such information can help provide baseline information for
which abiotic and ecological variables are most important when studying
the linkages from land to sea in island ecosystems.